Lance Secretan

Biography

Dr. Lance Secretan is widely acknowledged as one of the most insightful and provocative leadership teachers of our time. He is the former CEO of a Fortune 100 company, university professor, award-winning columnist and author of 15 books about inspiration and leadership. His teachings and writings on conscious leadership are courageous, radical and ingenious and have been hailed as among the most original, authentic and effective contributions to leadership thinking currently available. Read More >

Individuals, entire organizations, cities and states have experienced remarkable transformations through his unique mentoring, coaching, wisdom and approach. He has helped 6 companies to be named to Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For in America list, and 8 others are also his clients, and 30 Secretan Center clients are on Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list. He is ranked 17th in the world by Leadership Gurus, and Speakers in America ranks him among the Top Five Leadership speakers. His firm, The Secretan Center, Inc., is ranked #1 in the world as an international Leadership Consulting firm by Leadership Excellence.

Lance is an expert skier, kayaker and mountain biker, and he divides his time between homes in Ontario and Colorado. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch

Inspire! What Great Leaders Do

One DREAM

Speech Topics

The Spark, The Flame & The Torch

In this keynote, Dr. Lance Secretan takes us on an invigorating, radical and inspiring journey in which he asks a question: “Given all the investments we have made with leadership experts, consultants, books and workshops, why is our contemporary leadership paradigm so broken—in politics, business, academia, healthcare, law, religion and elsewhere?” He’ll share an entirely fresh approach that breaks away from the pack—a reset—that has been successfully proven by corporations, cities, states and provinces and countries.

Secretan challenges current thinking about mission, vision and values statements, leadership theory, brand management theory, motivation techniques, psychometric profiling, performance management systems and coaching—to name a few, and then describes, based on his own experience and success, how alternatives to these ideas—called Higher Ground Leadership®—have been successfully implemented by some of the greatest organizations in the world.

ONE Dream: The Journey to Corporate Transformation

How great leaders inspire by identifying, realizing, and sustaining a dream and modern examples of great organizations that are practicing this breakthrough concept. Learn how The Secretan Center’s proprietary system of ONE Dream® has transformed organizations.

ONE: The Art & Practice of Conscious Leadership

Six thousand years ago we were one. We shared the same stories and myths, mysteries and magic. The classical Greek philosophers began the process of separate thinking. The great Renaissance thinkers picked up the pace and the genius of our modern scientific and technical era has unraveled this precious human asset. If we continue to separate ourselves liberal/conservative, parent/child, Muslim/Christian, labor/management, black/white, young/old, rich/poor we will wither as a society, perhaps as a species.

Conscious Leadership inspires self and others to reframe what we see by making the connections between all the parts countries as kin, corporations as communities, employees as whole humans, and religions as partners rather than competitors. In this, we gain a greater understanding of how all our actions connect with everything else.

Inspire! What Great Leaders Do

The need to inspire has never been greater than it is today, as many people feel afraid, cynical, and resigned. In fact, most companies try to motivate their people with traditional leadership models. Secretan’s keynote, Inspire!, offers an alternative way to inspire from within and use self-knowledge to inspire others. It starts with the individual and spreads to transform organizations. This transformational process is Higher Ground Leadership®.

Inspire! teaches business leaders how to ignite superior performance by speaking to the deeper needs of business relationships, and by aligning their desires with your organization’s cause. Inspire! is full of proven methods for connecting with the soul, the real self. The keynote provides valuable guidance and shares a host of stories that illustrate how inspiring leaders have transformed their business environment from places of fear and resignation to powerhouses of effective performance.

Testimonials

"How much I enjoyed your presentation – it was the hit of our conference. On a scale of zero to ten, you were an eleven."

- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

"Lance presents his material in a most unique and dynamic way that lends itself to getting people’s attention who may not have otherwise been interested and, specifically, as a result, tapping the potential of all involved. The lessons he shared are, and will continue to be, part of the reason Medtronic and each of us at Medtronic are successful in what we do."

- Medtronic of Canada Limited

"I had the privilege of attending one of Lance’s keynote speeches in the fall. His speech was unbelievably moving and inspiring. I can honestly say that he is the best speaker I have ever come across. His topics are relevant to our daily lives and the impact we can have on others. Being a good leader would interest many people in our industry. I can’t praise him enough for what he tries to instill in others."

- GEC Architecture

"We have never had so much positive response on a keynote speaker. Congratulations!"

- The Life Insurance Institute of Canada

"Once you began your presentation, the energy in the room completely switched. Suddenly, you were talking about things that truly mattered—how do we create inspiring organizations, what do we really want for our lives? People sat up, they stopped fiddling about on their phones. I could see your words were affecting them deeply and they wanted to hear more. It was captivating for all of us. I learned a great deal, not just more about the principles behind The Spark, the Flame and the Torch, but what it means to passionately convey those ideas and connect with others."

- Keir Overton

"I have seen some of the best acts and the best entertainers and presenters in the world during the last 20 years and you were the best I have ever heard!"

- Lighting Director, Regina Casino

"Of all the speakers I have been exposed to in my life, you are, without the shadow of a doubt, the one who has moved me and will change my life forever."